Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie and The Microphones on his wife's death and creating music honoring that experience

First up: Phil Elverum. He's a recording artist and songwriter. Elverum's career dates back over 20 years, first as the Microphones and later Mt. Eerie. He's produced ambitious, beautiful records that mix genres like folk, noise, death metal, shoegaze and more. It sounds a little like we're listing off different bins in a record store, but it's really compelling stuff.

His albums have all gotten a lot of acclaim, not just because of the studio experimentation but because of the beautiful, kind of ephemeral lyrics he used to tackle big, existential questions.

On his latest record, A Crow Looked At Me, he abandons pretty much all of that. His wife, Geneviève, died of pancreatic cancer last summer.

Phil wrote and recorded the album in the room where she died, using instruments she owned. As an album it's raw, plainly spoken and kind of therapeutic. He talks about really specific moments - trips to the hospital, getting rid of old clothes, getting her mail still.

He talks to Jesse about death and dying, and how he processed thatloss through music. Plus, for a little levity, he talks about his high stakes gambling game: Wad Lord

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Photo: Jesse Thorn

Werner Herzog on his new film Salt and Fire

From eating a shoe onstage to hauling a steamboat over a huge hill in the Amazon, German film director Werner Herzog is one of those public figures that has a kind of mythology to him him. But in Werner's case, a lot of it's true. He has had a career that spans more than 5 decades and dozens of awards, working both in documentaries and narrative films. He's known for Grizzly Man, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Fitzcarraldo and Little Dieter Needs To Fly. He says that although he doesn't consider himself a workaholic, he has directed a film almost every year from the beginning of his career, with 3 being released in the last year alone.

Jesse and Werner talk about his new film starring Michael Shannon and Veronica Ferres and what it was like when he was shot during a routine interview with the BBC.

This episode, Guy and Margaret are joined by two very special guests to talk about Netflix’s most expensive series The Crown. They talk about Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, whether Prince Philip is hot or not, and who has played the best Elizabeth on screen. Have smart phones ruined bathroom meditation? Did the Gilmore Girls reboot live up to expectations? And is Julio Torres leading the way in writing smart comedy about queer experience?(***hint, the answer is a resounding yes***). And as always, the panel will delight you with their latest jams and what they are all about.

This is our 100th episode! In honor of this, Guy, Margaret (via skype), Oliver, and Wynter talk about pop culture families as a way of paying tribute to the Pop Rocket family that has formed over the past two years. Guy finds out which pop culture family the gang wishes they were a part of, and which TV and movie families represented their own. Then, they talk about the best pop culture families composed of friends (**Spoiler: Friends isn’t one of them). Then, as always, we find out what the panel’s current Jams are and what their individual pop culture obsessions are.

A very special shout out to all of the Rocketeers who have listened and made these 100 episodes possible! THANK YOU!

Norman Lear talks his childhood, his 1970’s sitcoms, and writing for an all black cast

Norman Lear is a Hollywood legend who is responsible for cultivating an entire genre of television: the American Sitcom. After serving time in the U.S. Army during WWII, Lear began a career in Public Relations, eventually turning his sights to television production. During the 1970’s, he had some of the most successful TV shows running, including All In The Family, Maude, and The Jeffersons. After his tenure creating sitcoms, he went on to work on movies and writing.

You can find the upcoming PBS documentary about his life, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of Youhere.

Photo: Jesse Thorn

Riz Ahmed on his hip-hop group Swet Shop Boys, Brexit, and his part in the upcoming Star Wars film

Riz Ahmed is a British actor who has been in many notable films including Chris Morris' and Dan Gilroy's Nightcrawler. But he seems to be gaining more attention this year as he breaks through into larger roles such as the latest Jason Bourne film and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. All while he has been cultivating his acting career, he also is a very busy hip-hop artist, releasing a solo record this year called Englistan under the name Riz MC as well as being one half of Swet Shop Boys with Das Racist veteran Heems. His work as a musician is often times critical of political and social structures in place, and makes reference to racial inequities in our society.

Hello wonderful friends! This week we would like to introduce you to our NEW PRODUCER ALEXIS! Like a dog's favorite tennis ball, she is quite a CATCH. We think you're going to really like her. Also she wrote that bad catch joke, not us. This week's Mutt Minute features a classic pooch: the Golden Retriever! Allegra brings us some great Dog News about "Audience dogs." Plus, Renee gives an exciting update about the Goldendoodles in her life in Dogs We Met! Enjoy!

This week on Magic Lessons, Elizabeth Gilbert advises Colleen, an advertising executive in New York City, who dreams of being a storyteller but fears it's a frivolous pursuit. Colleen hopes to create a one-woman show, mining stories from her childhood growing up in an Irish Catholic family that ran and owned a bar. Liz calls up the writer Gary Shteyngart for additional expertise on the pain and relief that comes with telling family stories.

Special Guest: Gary Shteyngart is the award-winning author of the novels Super Sad True Love Story, Absurdistan, and The Russian Debutante’s Handbook. Born in Leningrad, his memoir, Little Failure is a candid and moving account of growing up as a Russian emigre in America. Find out more about him and his work at garyshteyngart.com.

This week's sponsors: Audible, The Great Courses Plus, and Stamps.com
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Chris brings the case against his sister-in-law, Jenna. For many years, their extended family has had kids and adults tables at holiday gatherings. Chris thinks that since the kids are all grown up, they should abandon the kids table. Jenna thinks the table should retain its sovereignty. Who's right? Who's wrong? Only one man can decide.

Donald, his wife Jessie, and their son plan to attend a Star Wars fan convention that will comprise their family vacation this year. Donald and their son have been planning and executing costumes to wear for the event. Jessie says she shouldn't have to wear a costume, since she's not a big fan herself and she agreed to let the convention double as their family vacation in the first place. Will Jessie have more fun in costume? Or should she be allowed to opt out?